Automobile door locking device



April 5, 194., J. M. ROYAL AUTOMOBILE DOOR LOCKING DEVICE Filed Nov. 8,1945 m H W 5 I! E Y ROLLED Inventor Honeys Patented Apr. 5, 1949 UNITEDSTATES "PATENT OFFICE AUTOMOBILE DOOR LOCKING DEVICE John M. Royal,Bristol, Conn.

Application November 8, 1945, Serial No. 627,301

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in looking devices for automobiledoors.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide means wherebyall of the doors of a motor vehicle may be locked simultaneously by asingle operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the abovekind whereby the locks on all of the doors of a motor vehicle may besimultaneously conditioned for unlocking by a single operation and thenunlocked individually by actuation of the bolt-releasing handle on theoutside of each door.

Still another object of the invention is to Drovide a device of theabove kind which is simple and may be readily installed upon existingautomobile door locks, and which is highly efiicient in operation andconvenient to use.

The exact nature of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which the figure is a view partly in sectionand partly diagrammatic, showing a preferred embodiment of theinvention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the locks for the doors of anautomobile of the sedan type are respectively indicated at A, B, C, andD. The locks are all alike and only the lock A is shown complete. As isusual, each lock includes a casing 5 having a sliding bolt 6 thereinthat may be retracted from Within the automobile by means of an interiorhandle, not shown. The bolt 6 is normally projected by a spring 1 andmay also be manually retracted from outside the automobile bymanipulation of the usual exterior handle, not shown. The shaft 8 of theexterior handle is journalled transversely of the casing 5 and has a cam9 fixed thereon within the casing, said cam bearing against an abutmentll! of the bolt 6 so that when the shaft 8 is turned in ananti-clockwise direction as viewed in the figure, bolt 6 is retracted.The exterior handle, shaft 8 and cam 9 may also be returned to normalposition, when the exterior handle is released, by means of a spring II.

In accordance with the present invention, a detent II is mounted in thecasing 5 and projected by a spring l2 to normally prevent sufiicientrocking movement of the cam 9 to efiect release of the bolt 6 from itskeeper. The detent II is preferably slidably mounted as shown forrectilinear movement and disposed so that an end of the same engageswithin a notch l3 of the cam 9. It will be noted that there is a slightspace between the end of detent II and the adjacent wall of the notch l3so that limited rocking movement of the cam 9 is permitted, when theexterior handle is turned to partially retract the bolt 6. The other endof detent ll carries an armature l4, and mounted within the casing 5 inposition to attract the armature l4 are electromagnets l5. When thearmature M is attracted by the electromagnets l5, the detent II isretracted so as to release the cam 9 and permit sufiicient rockingmovement of the latter to release the bolt 6. The present locking meansalso includes a suitable key-controlled switch [6 and an auxiliaryswitch H, the latter being mounted in the casing 5. As shown, the switchll includes an adjustable contact la insulated from the casing 5 andarranged to coact with a pivoted contact I9 whose free end is engagedwith the cam 9 and which is yieldingly urged toward the contact is byspring 20. The contact 18 is shown as a screw adjustably threadedthrough an insulating block 2| fixedly mounted in the casing 5, saidcasing having an aperture 22 through which a screw driver may beinserted to facilitate adjustment of the con.- tact IS. The spring 2|]is weaker than the spring 1, and the arrangement is such that when thebolt 6 is projected, cam 9 is positioned to engage contact l9 and swingit out of engagement with contact l8. On the other hand, when cam 9 isrocked for the limited extent allowed by detent ll, contact I9 is movedby spring 20 into engagement with contact I8. Switch It may be termed amaster switch and may be suitably mounted so as to be accessible outsidethe automobile body. Switch l'l may be considered an auxiliary switch,the switches l6 and I1 being in series with each other and theelectro-magnets 15. As shown, a battery 23 having one side grounded at24, is connected at its other side to one terminal of switch l6 by awire 25 having a fuse 26 interposed therein. The other terminal ofswitch It is connected to one terminal of one of the electro-magnets l5,and one terminal of the other electro-magnet is connected by a wire 28with the contact l8 of look A, the electromagnets l5 of the latter lockbeing connected in series, and the contact I9 of said look A beinggrounded as at 29. The electromagnets l5 and switches I! of the otherlocks B, C, and D are similarly connected in series, but with those ofeach lock in parallel with those of the other locks.

In use, the switch I6 is locked in open position so that theelectromagnets l5 are deenergized and the detents H are projected bytheir springs l2 to prevent sufiicient rocking movement of the cams 9 ofthe locks to efiect retraction and release of the bolts 6 of the locks.The bolts of the locks are thus held projected so that the doors of theautomobile are maintained in locked condition. To unlock the doors,switch I6 is closed, and the exterior handle of each lock is operated toturn the associated cam 9 and permit closing of the associated switchI1. As soon as such associated switch I! is closed, the circuit of theassociated electromagnets l will be closed and such magnets will releasethe associated detent I I so that turning of the exterior handle may becontinued. and the associated bolt 6 retracted sufliciently to unlockthe door. The only door which will be unlocked is that whose exteriorhandle is turned,

so that each individual door must be separately unlocked by manipulationof its exterior handle.

When the bolts of the locks are projected againthe associated switchesvI! will be opened so as to deeenergize the electromagnets andpermitprojection of the detents H for locking the bolts inprojectedposition. The switch lfiis. then looked in open position sothat manipulation of the exterior handles of the locks may not effectrelease. thereof unless the master switch I6 is unlocked andclosed by anauthorized person possessing the key to the switch l6.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that the. construction,operation and advantages of the present invention willtbe readilyunderstood and appreciated by those skilled in the art. Minor changes.andmodifications may be made, such as fall within the scope of theinvention as claimed.

What I claim is: g

An automobile door lock including a casing having a horizontally slidingbolt therein, a rocking cam manually: operable from outside the door torelease said bolt, a spring projected horizontally reciprocable detentco-acting directly with said cam at one end for normally preventingsuflicient rocking movement of the cam to effect release of the bolt butpermitting limited rocking movement thereof, said detent being parallelwith and beneath the bolt, an armature fixed on the other end of saiddetent, electromagnetic means for attracting said armature to retractthe detent and permit suificient rocking movement of the cam to releasethe bolt, and a switch in the casing below the pivot of the cam, saidswitch being in series with said electro-magnetic means for controllingenergization of the latter, said switch being directly controlled bysaid cam to open the circuit of said electro magnetic means when thebolt is fully projected and to close said circuit when said cam ismanually actuated to give it the limited rocking movement normallypermitted the same by said detent, said switch further including a fixedcontact and a movable contact spring-biased into engagementwith thefixed contact when the bolt is retracted and held out of engagement withsaid fixed contact by the lower end of said cam when the bolt isprojected.

JOHN M. ROYAL.

REEERENCI S CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES, PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 19,073 Hardesty Feb. 13,1934 1,927,354 Walker Sept. 19, 1933 1,965,482 Walker July 3, 19342,212,251 Seelinger Aug. 20, 1940 2,329,309 Wardet al Sept. 14, 1943

